Day 8: I decided that Day Eight would consist of a visit to the north rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison. I really don’t remember why (I have GOT to start taking better notes on these trips). After all, it’s a five-hour roundtrip from … Continue reading Colorado 2026 Trip Report (the final three days)
Day Five was planned to be a dedicated driving day. I drove from Leadville to Lake City, with multiple shopping stops in Gunnison, which is on the way. But before leaving Leadville, I wanted to get at least a few more pics. I started by … Continue reading Colorado 2026 Trip Report (Days Five and Six)
And on the fourth day, Cedric rested. Seriously, I was completely physically exhausted from wandering around at such high altitudes over the previous few days. I truly needed a full day of rest. The only thing I did worth mentioning was going out to lunch.
I went to a restaurant / sports bar called “The Famous” at the south end of downtown. The Famous what, I don’t know. Just “The Famous”. There are two reasons why this dining experience is worth mentioning. First, there is a patio on the west side of the building. From this patio, in the far distance, I could barely make out some of the heavy equipment fighting a nearby wildfire. Far more impressive were the flare-ups that occurred each time the fire reached an already dead tree.
The other reason this lunch is worth mentioning is that I ordered the Firebird pizza. The menu described this pizza as “House-made roasted garlic white sauce, mozzarella, chicken, turkey burnt ends, jalapeno, red onion, hot honey”. Sounds good, eh? Well, it was better than good. This was very possibly the tastiest pizza I have had EVER. EVER. The only problem was the hot honey kept dribbling down my arms. I was seriously sticky; had to wash up before I left.
In summary: Firebird pizza at “The Famous” in Leadville, Colorado: HIGHLY Recommended!
The original plan for Day Three was to rent a mountain bike (maybe an e-bike) and ride the Mineral Belt Trail. This is an eleven-mile loop that goes through the city of Leadville, Colorado and some of the old mining areas that surround the city. … Continue reading Colorado 2026 Trip Report (Day Three)
Day Two was planned to be a dedicated driving day. I was to drive from Granby to Leadville; I planned to take the long way (more on that later). There would of course be stops for picture-taking. The first of these stops was just outside … Continue reading Colorado 2026 Trip Report (Day Two)
If you’ve ever even heard of me, you know that I am fascinated with Colorado’s mining / railroad history and the desert beauty at the western edge of the state. It has come to my attention that my fascination with these specific areas has resulted … Continue reading Colorado 2026 Trip Report (Day One)
Flying to Denver: another chance for the airlines and TSA to make a good impression. And TSA delivered. I only had to tell one person that I had a medical device on me, and they knew exactly what needed to be done.
My buddies from AA (that’s American Airlines, not Alcoholics Anonymous) got everything right in the end, though their communication skills could use some work. When I got my boarding pass, it said I was in group 9. I tried to explain to at least three separate AA employees that I can’t be separated from that carry-on bag, and that I was quite concerned about the overhead bins becoming full before I got to board. Each of these people said basically, “Awwwwww, there, there, shut up, boy! Nobody’s going to take your widdo bag from you.” They were right. As I stepped into the plane, I immediately learned that AA had upgraded their overhead bins, doubling the overhead storage capacity. I had no problem finding space for my carry-on bag!
Other than being on an escalator when it lost power, witnessing a luggage jam that had to be manually cleared, and then not recognizing my own luggage, it was a smooth trip.
A high school French teacher once told me that, to speak French properly, you only have to know the first two syllables of what you’re trying to say. After that, you can just vomit. It turns out that a similar approach applies to the pronunciation … Continue reading Kentucky 2026 Trip Report (the Last Couple Days)
I told you I’d be back the next day, and I told you the lighting would be better. Please enjoy these pics of Natural Arch and friends, as seen around 10:40 AM on Day 6… My next stop was Lost River Cave in Bowling Green, … Continue reading Kentucky 2026 Trip Report (Days 6 and 7)
It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down. I had the thumb drive in, I was drivin’ Trees went by, me and Geoff were singin’ “Silent Lucidity”, I was flyin’ To be clear, I was driving my minivan to the ghost town known as … Continue reading Kentucky 2026 Trip Report (Day 5)
